The United States plans to deploy more than 10,000 additional troops to the Middle East by the end of April to increase pressure on Iran.

About 6,000 troops will arrive aboard the USS George H.W. Bush carrier strike group, while another 4,200 will come with the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group and the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

This buildup would raise the number of US aircraft carriers in the region to three, joining the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Gerald Ford.

Roughly 50,000 US personnel have already been involved in operations since the conflict began on February 28, Al-Jazeera has reported.

The report also comes as the US continues a naval blockade aimed at restricting Iran’s maritime trade, though the details have not been independently verified.